Guidance

Request for planning permission: Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford: Environmental Impact Assessment Handling, Publicity and Consultation Arrangements

Published 3 July 2025

Applies to England

Handling, Publicity and Consultation Arrangements

The Minister of State (Minister for Housing and Planning) has received a request that he grant planning permission for an Entertainment Resort Complex and associated development at the former Brickworks and adjoining land, Kempston Hardwick, Bedford (“the Proposal”).

The Minister has been asked to consider granting planning permission by making a Special Development Order for the Proposal under Section 59 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (“SSHCLG”) has recused herself from planning decision making in respect of the Proposal given a potential or perceived conflict of interest. The SSHCLG has delegated the responsibility of decision maker for planning decisions concerning the Proposal to the Minister for Housing and Planning.

Handling Arrangements – Regulation 64

The Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (“DCMS”) is responsible for policy relating to the visitor economy and creative industries and as such DCMS is supporting the promoter of the Proposal, Universal Destinations & Experiences (“the Promoter”), to connect with relevant stakeholders and source relevant information. The Office for Investment (“OfI”) has worked with DCMS to assist the Promoter of the Proposal to navigate the UK regulatory and investment landscape and ensure appropriate connections across government and its arms-length bodies. The Department for Business and Trade has been supporting DCMS and OfI in this activity, as required. Personnel within the Department for Transport (“DfT”), and its associated arm’s-length bodies, have acted in two respects. First, personnel in road and rail modal teams have provided pre-proposal advice on the road and rail related elements of the Proposal. Second, separate personnel in the Planning Division have been briefed and will act on behalf of DfT in its function as a statutory consultee. Given the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (“MHCLG”) wider responsibilities certain Ministers and officials may have formal responsibilities on issues that may be relevant to the Proposal.

Arrangements have therefore been put in place to ensure that the Minister for Housing and Planning is able to perform his duties in an objective manner and without conflicts of interest (including for the purposes of the EIA Regulations). These arrangements have been published.

Publicity and Consultation 

The Proposal seeks planning permission for EIA development for the purposes of regulation 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (“the EIA Regulations”).  The Minister for Housing and Planning, on behalf of the SSHCLG, must not grant planning permission for EIA development unless an EIA has been carried out in respect of that development (under regulation 3).

The Promoter has submitted a statement referred to as an Environmental Statement, which the Minister for Housing and Planning will assess against the relevant requirements in regulations 4 and 18 (and consider along with wider environmental information and publicise in the manner set out below).

This note sets out the publication, notification and consultation process that the Minister for Housing and Planning will follow when considering the Proposal.

The Minister for Housing and Planning has considered the need for consultation on, and publicity for, EIA development to provide an effective opportunity for participation. The EIA Regulations set out minimum standards in relation to public participation. The approach set out below exceeds the minimum standards and the Minister for Housing and Planning is satisfied at this stage that it will provide an effective opportunity for participation.

The Minister for Housing and Planning will:

• send a copy of the Proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents to Bedford Borough Council, as the local planning authority in whose administrative area the land on which the development would be carried out falls

• put up site notices in the vicinity of the land to which the development relates for eight weeks explaining where the planning proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents can be viewed and inspected, and how a representation can be made

• place an advert in a local newspaper that explains where the planning proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents can be viewed and inspected, and how a representation can be made

• publish the following information on a website maintained by the government: (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/request-for-planning-permission-entertainment-resort-complex-bedford).

  • the address or location of the proposed development

  • a description of the proposed development

  • the date by which any representation about the Proposal must be made

  • where and when the Proposal may be inspected

  • how a representation may be made about the Proposal

  • the Environmental Statement

• arrange for the planning proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents to be inspected at one of the Secretary of State’s principal offices and at a location/s in Bedford

• provide an electronic copy of the planning proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents to the consultation bodies as defined in regulation 2(1) of the EIA Regulations, those referred to in article 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 and any infrastructure manager of relevant railway land under such Order and invite them to make representations

• serve a notice on adjoining owners or occupiers and invited then to make representations

• serve a notice on those he is aware of and considers are likely to be affected or have an interest in the proposed development, and are unlikely to become aware of the Proposal by means of a site notice or local advertisement, to inform them of the Proposal and to invite them to make representations

• serve a notice on owner and/or agricultural tenant of any part of the land or building to which the Proposal relates and invited them to make representations

• make available further information or any other information in the manner set out in regulation 25 (3) to (11) and suspend his determination of the Proposal until the expiry of 30 days after the latest of: the date on which the further information or any other information was sent to all persons to whom the Environmental Statement was sent; the date that notice of it was published in a local newspaper; the date that notice of it was published on a website

The Minister for Housing and Planning does not propose to determine the Proposal until the expiry of eight weeks from the date on which the last of the notices above have been sent.

Requests for a printed copy of the Proposal, the Environmental Statement, and the accompanying plans and other documents can be made to the Promoter subject to a reasonable charge for such copies.

Informing the public of the final decision

The Minister for Housing and Planning proposes to inform the public of his decision in the following way.

• Inform the consultation bodies in writing (electronically) of his decision.
• Notify the local planning authority of his decision.
• Provide the local planning authority with a statement containing:

i. Information regarding the right to challenge the validity of the decision and the procedures for doing so.

ii. If the decision is to grant planning permission: the reasoned conclusion of the Secretary of State on the significant effects of the development on the environment, taking into account the results of the examination of the environmental information and, where appropriate, his own supplementary examination; any conditions to which the decision is subject which relate to the likely significant environmental effects of the development on the environment; description of any features of the development and any measures envisaged in order to avoid, prevent, reduce and, if possible, offset, likely significant adverse effects on the environment; and any monitoring measures considered appropriate by the Secretary of State, as the case may be.

iii. If the decision is to refuse planning permission, the main reasons for the refusal.

iv. The main reasons and considerations on which the decision is based including, if relevant, information about the participation of the public.

v. A summary of the results of the consultations undertaken, and information gathered, in respect of the Proposal and how those results have been incorporated or otherwise addressed.

(‘the Decision Statement’).

• Ask the local planning authority to, as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of the notification, to:
  • inform the public of the decision, by local advertisement, or by such other means as are reasonable in the circumstances.
  • make the Decision Statement available for public inspection at the place where the appropriate register (or relevant part of that register) is kept.
• make the Decision Statement available on a part of the website that is maintained by the Secretary of State.